During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will present staff favorites from the holiday season. This eleventh edition will not include 11 pipers piping, but beloved Christmas songs, movies, recipes, quotes, and festivities.

 
 
 
 
Song: “Do They Know it’s Christmas” – performed by Band Aid
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Movie: A Charlie Brown Christmas
“When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant. Charlie Brown accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus’ help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is,” according to imdb.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recipe: Eggnog

Ingredients:
Six large eggs
Two egg yolks
One-half cup and two tablespoons of sugar
One-quarter teaspoon of salt
Four cups of whole milk
One tablespoon of vanilla extract
One-half teaspoon of grated nutmeg
One-quarter cup of heavy cream
Additional grated nutmeg for garnish
Steps:

1. Combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk until well-combined. Continue whisking while slowly and steadily pouring in the milk until it is completely incorporated.
2. Turn on the burner to the lowest possible heat setting. Then, place the pan on the burner and stir the mixture continuously until the thermometer reaches 160 degrees. This should take about 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any small pieces of cooked egg. Add the vanilla extract and nutmeg, stirring to combine. Pour into a glass pitcher, decanter, or container and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate this egg custard mixture to chill at least four hours or up to three days before serving.
4. When ready to serve, pour heavy cream into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into cooled custard mixture until combined.
5. Serve eggnog in chilled cups or glasses and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

 
 

DIY: Christmas Tea Trees
Supplies:
A styrofoam cone
Individually wrapped tea bags
A hot glue gun
Cardboard toilet paper tube
Wooden star
Steps:

1. Glue the tea bags to the styrofoam cone, starting at the base of the cone and slightly overlapping the tea bags. It is easiest to place a thin line of hot glue along the upper edge of the back of a tea bag. Attach tea bags to the cone.
2. Cut the toilet paper tube so it is about two inches tall. Then, attach the top of it to the base of the cone using hot glue.
3. Attach a wooden star to the top of the cone using hot glue.

 

 
 
 
Quote: “Mankind is a great, immense family. This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.” – Pope John XXIII
 
 
 
 
 
Festivities around the world: Venice, Italy 

According walksofitaly.com, Venetians celebrate la vigilia on Christmas Eve by enjoying a fish dinner of several courses. Then, residents and visitors attend the Saint Mark’s Basilica midnight Christmas vigil, which includes services in Italian, English, French and German. Museums in the city include the Galleria el’Aaccademia, which exhibits art that originated before the nineteenth century. Also, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection holds many works from the twentieth century. In addition, Venice’s Christmas markets are known for their handmade luxury items such as Murano glass and Christmas ornaments. According to agazzettaitaliana.com, residents of the nearby island of Murano host an event that commemorates the artistic tradition of hand glass blowing. The festivities begin December 26 and last one month. Large and colorful glass sculptures line the streets while glass blowing demonstrations take place to celebrate the creation of classic Venetian art. The highlight of this event is the presence of the world’s largest piece of glass art, named “Rifflessi di vetro in un albero di natale,” or “Glass Reflections in a Christmas Tree.” Simone Cenedese designed this eight meter tall tree which 40 halogen lights adorn. The tree is composed of 2,000 metal rods and 1,000 glass tubes. 
-Daisy Steinthal, Staff Writer, and Nina Rosenblum, Staff Writer